CHI WHITE SOX: HITTING: The departure of Juan Pierre opens things up for SS ALEXEI RAMIREZ to hit leadoff. 2B GORDON BECKHAM will get a fresh start, but his leash is shortening. 1B PAUL KONERKO faded last year. He's potential trade bait for the rebuilding Sox. Did DH ADAM DUNN need a year to adjust to A.L. pitching and DHing? With his contract, the Sox will have to find out. OF ALEJANDRO DE AZA's late-season surge probably wasn't for real, but it was enough to get him the inside track on a starting job with Carlos Quentin having been dealt to the Padres on New Year's Eve. OF ALEX RIOS has bounced back before, but at his age the odds are longer now. The organization believes in OF DAYAN VICIEDO. His improving approach and power fit well in U.S. Cellular, but he could platoon with KOSUKE FUKUDOME in left field. C A.J. PIERZYNSKI has motivation for one more solid season as free agency looms. 3B BRENT MOREL is good glove, but has a limited stick. OF/1B BRENT LILLIBRIDGE has an improving bat and can play just about anywhere. STARTING PITCHING: JOHN DANKS doesn't look like a true No. 1 starter, but he keeps consistently throwing strikes and has some swing-and-miss stuff. Maybe it's because he's fallen short of his once-elite prospect status, but GAVIN FLOYD seems to get no respect as a quality middle-of-the-rotation arm. He was especially good after adding a cutter/slider-type pitch last year. JAKE PEAVY isn't going to win another Cy Young, but unlike last year, his shoulder should be close to 100 percent. The big question will again be whether, as a flyball pitcher, he can keep the ball in the park at cozy U.S. Cellular. PHILIP HUMBER was a nice surprise in 2011, but don't be fooled. It wasn't a former top prospect finally figuring it out. It was a back-of-the-rotation arm getting some good breaks. CHRIS SALE will make the move to the rotation. He'll likely be on some pitch counts, but this is an exciting development. With his stuff (he already has a solid changeup to go with his fastball/slider combo) he has monster upside. RELIEF PITCHING: With closer Sergio Santos shipped off to Toronto, youngster ADDISON REED figures to be the top candidate to close games. Any young closer is a risk, but Reed's fastball/slider combo has been dominant over two pro seasons. Lefty MATT THORNTON might have blown his chance to claim the closer role last year. He had regained his form as a top set-up man late in the year, but if Reed falters he might be no more than a committee guy. JESSE CRAIN chased strikeouts more aggressively last year, but he also issued more walks. He may miss the first couple weeks of the season with an oblique injury.

HOUSTON: HITTING: This season will mark Houston's final year in the National League. Look away, children, as the Astros launch into what is sure to be the crappiest victory lap in baseball history. Tiny 2B JOSE ALTUVE's jump from High-A to MLB starter says more about Houston's pitiful state than anything. He belongs in Triple-A. CHRIS JOHNSON won the starting 3B job as JIMMY PAREDES was optioned to Triple-A. Johnson was thought to have 25-homer power, but last year he slugged just .378. 1B CARLOS LEE is in the twilight of a very productive career. Backup 1B BRETT WALLACE seems to be in the twilight of an unproductive one. OF BRIAN BOGUSEVIC has a low ceiling. But he's one of only a few recent draft picks who will even contribute. OF J.D. MARTINEZ doesn't blame you if you haven't heard of him, but he's the team's best player who hits third in the lineup. SS JED LOWRIE was a nice little pickup for a mid-tier closer. But his platoon split is intense. C JASON CASTRO will probably play ahead of CHRIS SNYDER. OF JORDAN SCHAFER has yet to put things together; but he'll be starting in center on Opening Day. Fourth OF J.B. SHUCK is only 24, but doesn't have a whole lot of upside. STARTING PITCHING: WANDY RODRIGUEZ has been a durable, above-average starter for five years, yet every season his real-world team limits his wins. He'll be traded at some point this year. Don't shortchange BUD NORRIS. He's an underrated source of strikeouts, and has improved his command. J.A. HAPP really needs to cut down on his walk total. JORDAN LYLES couldn't legally drink until the second-to-last week of the season. He's in the big leagues way too soon. He's yet another young Astro who isn't terrible, but won't ever set the world on fire. KYLE WEILAND came from Boston with Jed Lowrie and should earn the final spot in the rotation. Texas-bred fireballer JARRED COSART, 21, is a legitimately exciting (but risky) prospect who Houston will probably rush up to the majors at some point this year. RELIEF PITCHING: BRETT MYERS flummoxed the Astros' front office with a stinker of a season. He's probably closer to that pitcher than to the one who posted a career-best 3.14 ERA in 2010 at age 29, but he'll move the bullpen this year to get the rare opportunities to close out a game when this awful team is actually leading. WILTON LOPEZ was good in 2011, but was much better the previous season, when he may have been the most underrated reliever in the National League. Houston will go with him in the ninth if they want Myers to return to the rotation. BRANDON LYON has seen better days. He bombed early, then was shut down for good with a bicep injury. He intimidates nobody now.

Having finally run into an outstanding stretch at the plate, Adam Dunn probably would have preferred playing the last couple of days.

The slugger hopes to keep swinging a hot bat and lead the well-rested Chicago White Sox to their fourth win in five games Friday night at Minute Maid Park when Chris Sale takes the mound against the Houston Astros.

Behind Dunn and a resurgent offense, the White Sox (28-35) have scored 26 runs while hitting nine homers over their last five games after totaling 26 runs and one home over their previous 10.

Dunn went 8 for 15 with four homers and seven RBIs to help Chicago win three of four before Wednesday's rainout and Thursday's scheduled day off.

Dunn, among the major league strikeout leaders with 79, has whiffed only three times in his last four contests while raising his batting average from .156 to .182.

He'll likely get a chance to continue that production despite facing left-hander Erik Bedard in the opener of this four-game series.

Though he's 5 for 50 against southpaws this season, Dunn has been in the lineup the last seven times the White Sox have faced a lefty starter in an AL park. He went 2 for 3 with a homer off Oakland's Tommy Milone on Saturday.

Dunn, however, is 0 for 3 with two strikeouts lifetime against Bedard (1-3, 5.34 ERA), who looks to regroup from one of his worst outings of the season.

After going 1-0 with a 2.79 ERA over his previous five starts, Bedard matched a season high by allowing six runs and eight hits over 4 2-3 innings in a 7-2 loss at Kansas City on Saturday.

Bedard has faced the White Sox just once since 2009.

Houston (23-44) looks to get a winning streak started after rallying for six runs in the ninth inning Wednesday to stop a six-game losing streak - during which it had totaled seven runs - with a 6-1 victory over Seattle.

The Astros, who hadn't scored in their previous 17 innings, won for the first time in 38 chances when trailing after eight innings.

"It's never too late when you're able to put together a six-run inning, especially after the woes we've had the last two games," manager Bo Porter said.

The White Sox will give the ball to Sale (5-4, 2.68) as they seek their sixth win in nine meetings in Houston, including two victories there in the 2005 World Series - their most recent visit.

Sale, who had his start pushed back following Wednesday's rainout, is the first of four consecutive southpaws they'll throw at the Astros in this series, with John Danks, Hector Santiago and Jose Quintana to follow.

Houston ranks among the majors' top 10 with a .274 batting average versus lefties, but has hit .224 against them since May 26.

Sale is 0-2 with a 3.38 ERA in two starts since missing time because of mild tendinitis in his left shoulder.

"It's nice to get back out there and just be a part of the rotation again," he told MLB's official website. "Obviously, there are going to be some things that are going to come up that we're going to have to handle."

Sale yielded four hits over eight shutout innings in a 10-1 win last June 9, his only career appearance against the Astros.